Overview
- Federal Family Minister Karin Prien told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland on Tuesday that she is open to reversing or changing the proposed cut of Elterngeld from 14 to 12 months and wants fresh coalition talks to reassess the measure.
- The July draft from Prien’s ministry would have reserved three months per parent and left six months to split, meaning a sole-care parent could receive at most nine months of support under the plan.
- Coalition partners have not agreed on a final model and are re-running budget calculations to weigh savings against political and social costs after recent state election setbacks for the CDU and SPD.
- The SPD opposes proposed cuts to the child-support advance for 16- and 17-year-olds, and Prien has publicly criticized the Finance Ministry for backing a temporary fuel-price subsidy while pressing ministries to find cuts.
- Prien said her ministry will present a Familienpflegegeld concept in the first half of 2027 and indicated that further family-policy steps depend on the outcome of the ongoing budget and coalition negotiations.